The 2008 vintage had its share of challenges. This was especially true in the Russian River Valley where a spring frost hit many vineyards and led to uneven ripening and dismally
low crop yields. To produce outstanding 2008 Russian River Pinots we had to be extremely selective in which grapes made the cut for the single-vineyard wines, and also carefully meld together different lots to build a superb Russian River blend. This proved to be some work, but after much trial and error (doing all that tasting can be rough) we settled on a blend that is 45% Keefer Ranch, 19% Lewis, 16% Sapphire Hill, 10% Amber Ridge, 6% Parsons’, and 4% Ewald Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine is also a blend of many different clones, including Dijon Selections 114, 115, 667, and 777 along with Pommard, Wadenswil, and Clone 23. The hope, of course, is that this combination of components produces a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.
We feel very confident that the 2008 Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is superior to what we believed was a fantastic 2007 blend. The wine simply shows a bit more of everything, with typical Russian River flavors of cola and spice, along with great richness of cherry and raspberry fruits, and a mouth filling, velvet texture. This wine is definitely ready to go right now, and should make superb drinking over the holiday season, but it should improve as well for two or more years.
Cases: 1800
Released: September 2009
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